No country has the right to block or impose tolls in the Strait of Hormuz, said the secretary general of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Arsenio Dominguez.
“Countries do not have the right to block an international strait used for international navigation”said the official, during a press conference in London, on the sidelines of the 13th session of the IMO Legal Committee.
The Mexican was responding to the announcement of a blockade by the United States in the Strait of Hormuz, starting at 3 pm (same time in Lisbon), to pressure Iran to lift restrictions on the passage of ships through that passage.
In practice, a new blockage will not have a major impact, as only 11 vessels will have passed through in the last 48 hours, when the normal would be 130 per day, he highlighted.
“An additional lockdown does not bring any changes, nor solutions to the crisis we face.”remembering that around 20,000 sailors and 1,600 ships remain trapped in the Persian Gulf.
Regarding Iran’s expressed intention to implement a “toll” system, the official rejected this idea.
“According to international maritime law, as provided for in conventions on the law of the sea and international treaties relating to international navigation, all countries must respect the right of harmless passage and the right to freedom of navigation, and there are no legal mechanisms that allow the collection of tolls, regardless of the country that imposes them”, he highlighted.
Dominguez said he is working on a ship withdrawal plan and that talks are “ongoing with all relevant parties, in particular those operating the current traffic separation scheme, Iran and Oman.”
The IMO Secretary General warned that, “until the situation calms down and it is safe to do so, no ships should transit the Strait of Hormuz.”
The official said he had no official information about the presence of mines in those waters and regretted the continuation of the conflict.
“Maritime transport continues to be used as collateral for these types of negotiations, which, of course, is harmful, not only for innocent sailors, the countries in the region, but globally for everyone who is being affected. Therefore, my continued appeal is for multilateral dialogue in diplomacy, in order to calm tempers and allow us to operate as before”, he summarized.
The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow passage that connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and is used to export 20% of the world’s oil, 19% of liquefied natural gas and 13% of the chemicals and fertilizers needed for agriculture.
Iran has maintained full control over navigation through the strait, having only allowed ships from allied countries to pass through since the beginning of the war, with which it has had recent talks, such as China and India.
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